Of Hunters and the Hunted
by Hope10032
Summary: When the Warriors somehow wind up in the Hunter's/General's world, how will said people react? A great evil begins to reveal itself once more, but the teams are too busy being at war with one another. Legendary Warriors? Perfect addition to add to a Hunter's arsenal. Frontier, Fusion/Hunters crossover. Rated T just in case, probably isn't necessary
1. Chapter 1: The Hunters and Hunted

Chapter 1: The Hunters and Hunted

 **Hello! This is Hope10032, reporting to you live! Yes, in many people's perspectives I disappeared off the face of the earth, but here I am again! I'm still debating with myself about a few key parts of my other stories, so I decided to try writing this to get the gears working again! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I obviously don't own digimon. Duh.**

Dark clouds formed overhead, as the wind blew ferociously against anything it encountered. A figure's silhouette could be seen atop a soaring skyscraper, watching the night go by, unaware of what was about to happen. His white wings folded behind him, for the wind could easily catch them and send the angel-like demon tumbling through the air, the mysterious being was still despite the strong breeze. In this particular form, he was no bigger than a child, bearing the appearance of one as well. His eyes searched the skyline around him, until they caught sight of what he had been searching for.

"They have arrived," he smirked evilly. "Now is the time for the fun to begin."

In the distance, a bright light cut through the darkness as it ripped a hole in the pitch black sky. The gale stopped abruptly and all appeared calm. Six figures could be seen descending as if from the heavens, each separating and heading their own direction in bursts of red, blue, green, pink, dark purple, and white lights. The sight resembled strange shooting stars dancing across the night sky.

The figure on the roof smiled darkly at the fate he had caused his enemies, before he too was swallowed up in a mixture of black and white. The clouds began to dissipate from where they had gathered, before all returned to the peaceful dark it had been before destinies were changed. Not another creature had seen the lights, nor had born witness to the beginning of the new struggle that would surely accompany this event.

* * *

A mostly brunette boy with goggles on his head raced through the streets. If any random onlooker would care to notice, they would see that he was seemingly talking to himself.

"Are you sure that it's this way? Who knows if we're headed the right way," the boy complained. In his right hand, he held a crimson colored device. The machine's screen glowed a faint blue and a voice could be heard emitting from it.

"Of course I'm sure, Tagiru! I _am_ the one and only wild child of the Digiworld!" the voice pronounced proudly. "My nose never lies. This should be a really good find!"

"Okay! Let's follow that sense and hope it leads us to super stardom!" Tagiru replied eagerly back to his partner.

" **You'd be an idiot to stop here!** "

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tagiru threw his garbage away in a nearby trash bin.

"Whew! You were right, Gumdramon! That was the best ramen I've ever tasted!" he exclaimed with joy. Stars could be seen dancing in his eyes.

It had been about a year after the Quartzmon incident and all of the Hunters and former Generals had been reunited with their partners and other digimon. Even Ryoma was able to meet up with his real Psychemon, and they've been bonding ever since. Kiriha and Nene, the two Generals, became Hunters themselves, gaining permission from the old clockman before he disappeared again.

Though he had declared the hunt complete and further stated that there wasn't as much of a need for Hunters anymore, Digimon still seemed to be showing up in the human world. Not to mention that they weren't even in Digiquartz anymore, but the real world that people lived in. It was now unofficially the Hunters' duty to protect the secret of the Digimon and prevent trouble from occurring.

"Tagiru! You slacker, what the heck do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice rang out. As Tagiru turned to see who was calling him, a boy roughly a year older rushed past him. It was too quick to determine many details, but he noticed that he was wearing a bandana over dark hair.

"Tagiru!" the same voice from before shouted even louder. "Do you have digibites in your ears? Get over here!"

The mentioned goggle boy turned to see his fellow Hunter, Yuu, along with his idol and greatest inspiration, Taiki. The blonde was obviously the one who had called out rudely.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Tagiru inquired brightly. Yuu furrowed his brows in anger.

"Don't 'hey guys, what's up' us! Did you forget what Taiki had told us?"

 _Huh?_ Tagiru thought. _Taiki? Did something important happen?_ It was at that moment when realization struck him hard. _That's right! Taiki said that something had been bothering him since last night! We were going to meet up and investigate._

"Eh-heh, oops," Tagiru guiltily laughed. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess I kinda forgot."

Yuu exhaled loudly in exasperation, wondering why he still puts up with this idiot. Taiki just smiled and laughed at the interaction displayed. _Whether they admit it or not, they get along pretty well_ , he thought.

After Yuu was finished lecturing Tagiru about the importance of punctuality, the trio headed off to investigate anything that may have triggered Taiki's unease.

* * *

The previously mentioned bandana-wearing boy was making his way quickly through the crowd, shoving those who didn't move without a care. He was confused and lost in a strange world that he woke up in. One moment he had been hanging out with all of his friends in a park, the next he was awoken by the sounds of cars and trucks honking in nearby traffic on roads that were unfamiliar, in a town he's never visited.

Koji needed to find the others fast.

He sped down the street like a blur and came out of the crowd breathing heavily from his rush. Finding a quieter street corner, he pulled out his D-tector and began trying to fiddle with it. As usual, the thing didn't seem to want to cooperate. There was one last thing he had to check. Spotting a secluded park not too far from where he stood, he rushed to the cover of the trees.

" **Execute: Spirit Evolution!** "

A flash of light exploded in the area and when it finally dimmed, a white humanoid wolf figure was standing where Koji had been. Lobomon tested out his abilities, even summoning his light sword. He then transformed back into a human, but something didn't feel right. There was something off, almost weird, about his form now. As he tried to identify the issue, Koji noticed that the symbol of light had imprinted itself onto the back of his right hand.

"What in the Digiworld…?"

* * *

 _BEEP BEEP_

"Look! The digivice picked up a digimon signal!" exclaimed Tagiru. He and the other two had been wandering about aimlessly until the machine went off.

The coordinates showed that the digimon that had appeared wasn't too far off.

"Dang it! The signal disappeared," Yuu complained. It was true. The small dot on the radar had indeed vanished. They then decided it to be best if they checked out the location anyways. Just as a park was in view, the same guy who had rudely shoved Tagiru passed by them again.

"Hey, you!" Tagiru shouted.

"There's no need to shout. I'm right in front of you," the stranger glared. Now that he was standing right in front of them, as the boy had stated, Tagiru could make out the boy's features.

The stranger had black hair that was pulled into a ponytail and a blue and brown bandana covering his head. He had a yellow shirt and blue jacket with with yellow highlights. His pants were dark gray and he had white and blue sneakers on his feet. A scowl seemed ever present on this guy's face. He seemed to be about Taiki's age.

"Why did you shove me?" Tagiru asked with a fire of vengeance burning in his eyes. The stranger only raised an eyebrow and moved to walk past them. Tagiru and the other two watched as this boy around Taiki's age walked down the sidewalk, lacking any of the rush that he contained during the previous meeting.

"What's up with him?" Yuu wondered. Tagiru voiced his agreement, which was rare for them to ever agree. Taiki only watched silently, a feeling that the guy who just passed might be important later on. He decided to act on his feeling and rushed to catch up with the bandana boy, leaving Tagiru and Yuu flabbergasted at his action.

"Wait up!" Taiki called. The new boy stopped up ahead with a deep sigh of annoyance.

"What is it?" he asked rather harshly. Taiki didn't flinch in the least, having been used to Kiriha's own attitude.

"What's your name? Maybe we can be friends." The stranger raised an eyebrow at this proposal, so Taiki continued.

"I think we may have started off on the wrong foot."

The stranger snorted at this. His look said it all.

 _May have? I don't really care right now so leave me alone._

Taiki caught the message but bravely trudged on anyways.

"Can I at least know your name?" The stranger sighed again before finally answering.

"Koji Minamoto."

Taiki smiled after finally receiving his answer.

"It's very nice to meet you Koji. My name is Taiki Kudo, the blonde is Yuu Amano, and the brunette is Tagiru Akashi. I hope we can become friends."

Koji humphed and turned to walk away again. This time, Taiki let him, but not before he managed to spot the weird symbol on the back of Koji's right hand.

 _I wonder what that is?_ Taiki thought to himself. Things just seemed to keep getting more interesting around here.

As he returned to the two younger Hunters, they immediately bombarded him with questions.

"What was his name?"

"Koji."

"What did he want?"

"It was none of our business."

"Why would you talk to a jerk like him?"

"He wasn't that bad. He reminded me a bit of Kiriha." After the questions finally ended, the trio made their way into the park to try and find any clues on the mysterious appearance and disappearance of a digimon.

"Nothing! All that fuss over nothing!" Yuu cried in exasperation. Tagiru seemed extremely disappointed as well, while Taiki took it all in stride.

"It wasn't nothing. The signal definitely showed signs of a digimon. Perhaps this one is more stealthy or something."

They decided to check the surrounding area, but there was no sign of a digimon appearing.

 _BEEP BEEP_

"Huh? Guys, look here. It says that a digimon appeared again but this one has a different signature. It's also quite a bit away from here." Yuu announced with excitement. They were off on another search for another mysterious digimon.

* * *

"Well, at least this works," said a newly evolved fire warrior. Agunimon checked over himself. Gauntlets, check, armor, check, hair, check. Everything was in order. Now he just needed to figure out why he ended up on top of a tall building. And where he was, of course.

" **Slide Evolution!** " BurningGreymon appeared in a vortex of flames that shot up into the sky.

 _Oops_ , he thought. _I hope nobody saw that._

The large dragon spread his fiery wings and took off into the sky, searching for a scent of his friends.

" _ **Hellfire!**_ "

A shout from below came accompanied by many bullets.

 _To be continued._

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I apologize for spelling/grammar errors. I'm trying my best.**

 **To prevent confusion as much as possible, below is the ages of the characters basically. Some of the characters listed may not be featured or vice versa.**

 **Junpei (JP) - 16**

 **Takuya, Koji, Izumi (Zoe), Koichi, Taiki, Kiriha, Nene, Akari - 15**

 **Tagiru, Yuu, Ren, Ryoma, Airu - 14**

 **Tomoki (Tommy) - 12**

 **Thanks again for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Legendary Encounter

Chapter 2: A Legendary Encounter

 **Hello again! I doubt many read this, so I'll try to keep it short.**

 **Thank you to all who reviewed!**

 **richboylion** **:** _ **thank you for the review! Also, you'll have to wait and see what happens, really.**_

 **:** _ **Thank you so much! I too love seasonal crossovers which led me to wanting to write them as well. I wanted to be able to give other people as much joy as some of the stories I've read have to me.**_

 **Enjoy chapter 2! (^-^)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.**

"..talking.." - Speaking out loud

 _Talking_ \- thinking or reading from analyzer

" **Digimon** " - evolution or important words

" _ **Attack**_ " - attack move

 _ **Talk**_ \- Human Spirit communicating

 _ **Talk**_ \- Beast spirit communicating

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Legendary Encounter

A group of three were following the trail of a digimon on their radar.

"Ryouma? Has something appeared on the radar yet?" a voice from one of the three's device came. Ryouma assured his partner, Psychemon, that they were getting nearer to their target. A yelp of surprise came from his companion, Ren.

"Look at this! We must be really close 'cause the stats pulled up! Let me read it out:

 _BurningGreymon_

 _Level: Hybrid_

 _Type: Demon Dragon_

 _Attribute: Vaccine_

 _BurningGreymon is a dragon Digimon of the Greymon species. It has extremely powerful blasters on each of its arms and is equipped with sharp metal claws. It is the "Beast" form of the Legendary Warrior of Fire, and has a tendency to rampage when not fully in control of its senses._

"Dang, that sounds powerful!" Ren finished. It truly did sound incredible. "I definitely don't want to get on the bad side of that dragon."

Ryouma saw potential.

"Alright, I've decided to capture this BurningGreymon and make him a part of my team. Do either of you object?" Ryouma calmly questioned. Neither Airu nor Ren raised any objection. They knew that their leader would get what he wanted.

"Now, all that's left is to catch it."

They quickly retreated to a nearby rooftop that provided a good vantage point. In a brief flash of light, Psychemon appeared and was prepared for anything his partner asked of him.

" **Super Digivolve! Psychemon!** " Ryouma shouted.

" **Psychemon super Digivolve to… Astamon!** " the newly Digivolved wolf/man/assassin called. He then readied his gun.

" _ **Hellfire!**_ "

He used every last bullet he had aimed at the now flying dragon. They could see it clearly: wings of flame burning in the sky, metal armor shimmering in the sunlight. This was a magnificent sight indeed.

The dragon identified as BurningGreymon easily dodged, showing off its mobility as though it was as natural as breathing.

This cycle continued for a few more moments until Ren and Airu called their partners and Digivolved them into Cho-Hakkaimon and Yasyamon. They quickly joined the battle with an anticipation of long awaited fight.

" **DigiXros! Astamon + Cerberumon… XrosUpAstamon!** " Ryouma commanded. The newly Xrosed(?) Astamon immediately began to attack BurningGreymon. The dragon seemed surprised about the transformation, giving an opening for Astamon to attack. Knocking BurningGreymon from the sky, the three Hunter Digimon set upon weakening the beast. However, it seemed that they had gotten far too close.

" _ **Wildfire Tsunami!**_ "

Scorching flames splurged through the armor of BurningGreymon, delivering a strong attack on Astamon, Cho-Hakkaimon, and Yasyamon. They all instantly dedigivolved from the force bearing many burn wounds.

The dragon took his chance to fly off into the sky.

"Darn it all!" Ren angrily seethed. "I doubt that guy's even worth our time."

"Exactly. He wasn't even cute," Airu pouted in outrage.

"On the contrary."

Ren and Airu turned towards their leader, who was smiling in anticipation.

"His strength is superb. If he were to become part of my collection, I would be unstoppable."

* * *

Meanwhile, BurningGreymon was trying to put as much distance between himself and the group that attacked him. He wasn't expecting a digimon attack in the middle of a city, a _human_ city no less. Not to mention the odd evolution one of the digimon demonstrated.

 _Cerberumon_ , he thought angrily. _Even in a different world, you mock me_.

The dragon of flames began his search once more, before his previous battle had interrupted him from finding any familiar scent. This time, the Legendary Warrior flew high in the sky, trying to avoid being spotted, but soon realized that he wouldn't be able to find his friends this way. His fiery wings folded to accelerate his descent, only opening again to break his earthbound fall. He landed on a nearby roof, dedigivolving to preserve both his identity and energy.

Something was different.

Goggles, hat, shirt, shoes, pants, socks… tattoo? When did Takuya get a tattoo?

 _Crap. My parents'll kill me. Well, murder me for disappearing. Then kill me again for getting a tattoo._ Wait. He didn't remember getting a tattoo. Now that he looked closer, it was the symbol for fire. His warrior symbol of fire had mysteriously appeared on the back of his right hand.

It did look cool, to be honest. But now that he discovered the tattoo, he noticed something else as well. There was a warm feeling in his chest, almost like a small, comforting flame. Another thing Takuya noticed was the fact that his D-tector showed that his spirits were no longer residing within. Panic.

"Crap! What in the Digiworld happened!? Did I lose them somewhere?" he asked himself. This wasn't good.

Not in the least.

 _ **Don't worry, young warrior. Both BurningGreymon and I are still here**_.

Takuya froze. He looked around, trying to determine the location of the voice. Until he realised it was coming from within his head. Panic.

"I'm going crazy, aren't I!?" the leader of the Warriors hysterically questioned. "I'm hearing voices in my head, am lost in another world, and I'm hearing voices in my head! Great, now I'm repeating myself!"

 _ **Calm down, idiot human. You aren't crazy. Well, maybe.**_

 _Great, now even the voice thinks I'm nuts,_ Takuya thought to himself.

 _ **No, the beast meant no harm. He was just trying to calm you down in his own way. Now let's try and keep our heads. I, Agunimon, and the beast, BurningGreymon, are now residing within your body directly. You can talk to us within your mind.**_ The young gogglehead had opened his mouth to reply, stopping when he was interrupted by the last sentence.

 _Um, okay? So you guys are my digimon spirits?_

 _ **Yes, we are.**_

 _I'm not crazy?_

 _ **Probably not.**_

… _Are you sure._

 _ **Not really.**_

Takuya sighed. This was definitely going to be confusing for him. Another thought struck him, and as he was about to ask the two spirits…

 _ **Yes, you can still digivolve, just probably not the same way as before. And we know what you were going to ask because we can read your mind.**_

Takuya sighed again.

 _ **Young warrior, BurningGreymon and I were just discussing-**_

 _Wait, you can read my mind but I can't read yours?_

 _ **-that there may also be some side effects to having us reside in your body directly instead of within your device.**_

 _Like what?_

 _ **Try thinking of fire burning while focussing on your hand.**_

 _Like this?_ Takuya began concentrating and got instant results. His hand burst into flames. Panic.

"Whaa! What the heck!? Why is- what- MY HAND'S ON FIRE!"

 _ **Calm down, fool. Think of it going out.**_

Somehow, the boy of flames was able to shortly concentrate, thinking of the fire being smothered. The flames disappeared. He blew a sigh of relief, before trying much more tentatively at another trial. Slowly, his hands were warmed again by fire, but he could feel the heat, not the pain. In fact, the heat seemed to flow throughout his body at a comforting level, and next thing he knew was his entire body being engulfed in flames.

His clothing didn't burn, his skin wasn't scorched, and he felt great. Nothing he had experienced before was of a fitting comparison to what happened now. Takuya was truly in his element.

After letting the flames die down, he once again was about to ask a question that was answered before he gave voice to it.

 _ **We don't know the reason for suddenly being here, but it might have to do with this strange world. Last time we visited this place, the same thing happened, but we returned to your device once we got back to our home.**_

 _Wait, what? What do you mean by last time?_

 _ **Well, obviously I mean that we've been here before. I can feel it in my digital coding. We have been here before, but I can't say when or why. BurningGreymon agrees with my feeling.**_

 _That's odd, I can't remember ever coming here either. Yet even so, there's this lingering feeling of familiarity. Maybe I really am crazy._

 _ **Whether you are crazy or not is up to your own discernation, so please stay on subject.**_

 _Sorry, but I'm not sure what to make of all this… You don't think I've turned into a digimon, do you?_

 _ **Perhaps, but we don't have sufficient evidence either way.**_

 _ **You aren't ready to be a digimon, kid.**_

 _ **That's a bit unfair, don't you think, BurningGreymon?**_

 _ **He should learn what some think of him. That's all.**_

 _ **Oh boy…**_

The gogglehead began to tune out the voices in his head as they bickered. Honestly, you'd think that ancient warriors like them would be more mature.

* * *

A familiar Warrior of Darkness wandered throughout a forest he had somehow found himself in. Trees of varying species and types littered the ground, small animals darting around them. Koichi smiled as he caught sight of a small squirrel with its large cheeks filled to the brim. In the distance, he could hear the distinct sounds of a city, but said city was nowhere in sight. Thus, he resolved to follow his ears.

As he slowly made his way through the peaceful greenery, something else caught his attention. Rustling could be heard coming from a nearby bush.

Thinking it was just another woodland creature, Koichi approached the bush quietly. He tried to coax the creature out, but gasped at what he saw.

The forest returned to its calm, quiet state, completely unaware of the events that had just occurred. Not a human was in sight. Specifically not the Warrior of Darkness.

* * *

"JP! Tommy!" called a blonde haired girl. Two boys turned around at the sound.

"Zoe!" they cried in unison. Three warriors were gathered right next to a small bakery located within the city. Commuters and visitors could be seen all over the area, swerving around the small reunion JP, Tommy, and Zoe were having.

"Great! Now we just have to find Takuya, Koji, and Koichi," Tommy happily announced. He and JP had randomly run into each other while looking for the group and decided to stick together. Zoe had experienced a similar situation.

"Where do you think they could be?" JP asked. The other two didn't seem to have the answer either.

"This is a completely new place for us. We don't even have the slightest clue as to where we are. Who knows where they could be," Zoe gloomily said. There wasn't much else the three could do except wander around trying to find them. Tommy suddenly laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, knowing Takuya, he'd probably be somewhere he could play soccer. Koji and Koichi are also probably together somewhere, as Koji can be very overprotective of his twin."

"Personally, I'd like to think that they are all together. Takuya being stupid, Koji hitting him for his stupidity, and Koichi trying to calm his brother down, all the while laughing at the two."

"That does sound about right."

All three burst into laughter at the thought.

They then decided that standing around would do them no good and headed off down the street. Until they heard a sound.

Faintly, crying could be made out.

Being the heroes they were, the trio started looking around for the source, worried that a child may be hurt somewhere. They were led to an abandoned dead end alleyway, where a small form could be seen at the rear. After glancing at each other in silent confirmation, the group slowly approached the figure crouched on the ground.

He was a blonde little boy, wearing all white. His skin appeared pale and he appeared to be sobbing.

"Are you okay, little boy?" Zoe called out to him carefully. She didn't want to startle the child.

He sniffed and answered without turning around.

"I'm trying to find some people, but they seem to have disappeared. I've found one, but he had to leave, so now I need to find the others. I don't know what to do," the young boy sniffed. JP, Tommy, and Zoe all had their hearts overcome with sympathy. They knew personally what it felt like to be lost and alone without knowing where the people you knew were.

"Maybe we could help you, kid. Tell who you're looking for, and we'll try to help you find them," JP offered. The boy turned around, his eyes shining with hope.

"Really?"

"Of course! We'd love to help you!" Tommy assured. If they couldn't help a young, lost boy, then how could they call themselves the Legendary Warriors.

The boy's face shined with happiness and thanks, before taking a different tone. It looked almost… evil.

"I'm so grateful that you're willing help me," the kid said with a sneer. "It makes things so much easier." There was a bright flash that blinded all around, which only included the three warriors and the kid. After the light faded, there wasn't anyone in sight. The four had disappeared without a trace.

 _To Be Continued._

* * *

 **Finished! Second chapter is officially declared to be done. Sorry that I couldn't post this sooner, but my wifi has been out for a while. Luckily I was able to type, I just couldn't upload.**

 **I really hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it! Memories Out of Reach, my first story, is coming very slowly. Extremely slow, in fact. Revenge Paid in Full… I honestly don't know. The plot and story keeps changing in my head. Hopefully this will stay straight so I can keep updating.**

 **Please tell me of any errors I make (grammar, spelling, etc.) I really want this to be good so I'll need feedback. Thank you all for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing, etc. and you don't know how much motivation I get from all of you. Seriously, I wouldn't be able to be a writer without you all.**

 **I bid you all adieu!**


	3. Chapter 3: Of Beasts and Humans

Chapter 3: Of Beasts and Humans

 **Hello~! Hope is back and ready for Chapter 3!**

 **Now that I think about it, pretty much all of my stories have protagonists (good guys) going against each other. Huh. You learn new things about yourself everyday, as I've learned that I have an evil side to my personality. Or maybe I just like conflict between two good sides. Yeah, I'm evil.**

 **Thanks to all that reviewed/followed/favorited.**

 **Anika Noni Rose** **:** _ **Thank you so much! If you've noticed, I've added line breaks to the previous two chapters.**_

 **KnightVnox** **:** _ **Thanks for the review! Where the story is going, only time will tell because I sure as heck am not.**_

 **Darkblade-the-Tempest-Warrior** **:** _ **Update? Well, here you go! :)**_

 **Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favorites!**

 **(This chapter has been edited.)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.**

"..talking.." - Speaking out loud

 _Talking_ \- thinking or reading from analyzer

' _Texting'_ \- text message

" **Digimon** " - evolution or important words

" _ **Attack**_ " - attack move

 _ **Talk**_ \- Human Spirit communicating

 _ **Talk**_ \- Beast spirit communicating

 **Chapter 3, ready for lift off… Let's begin!**

Chapter 3: Of Beasts and Humans

 _ **I'm telling you, I don't think this is a good idea.**_

 _ **Oh, pipe down. This is the best we've got so suck it up.**_

 _Guys, can you please stop arguing? Honestly, how did you two become essentially the same being, as all I can see is you both fighting._ Takuya was beginning to get annoyed. The two had not _shut up_ and it was getting on the boy's already frayed nerves.

They couldn't seem to come up with any good ideas to contact the others. Takuya's D-tector had decided to not work properly, and it only allowed for Spirit Evolution. That meant no call functions. In the meantime, Takuya decided to practice his fire-wielding.

"Alright, are you ready?" Takuya seemingly asked himself out loud, though in truth he was talking to his spirits.

 _ **As ready as a starving dragon is to eat his prey.**_

 _ **Ignore that savage.**_

There was a tornado of flames that swirled around the Warrior of Fire. Takuya could feel the energy in his body, the heat in his chest, and the burning rush of being consumed by pure fire blazing through his veins.

 _Let's hope this works._

Thrusting his fist forward, Takuya let out a spiraling inferno. The flames shot towards the direction his punch had been thrown, which happened to have been aimed at the roof-access door of the building he was currently on top of.

"Well… crap."

"Look! Did you see that giant fiery tornado, Taiki? It was so cool!"

"Idiot! We aren't looking for 'cool' things! We're looking for things that aren't normal! I swear, you couldn't possibly be the one that Taiki chose to succeed him…"

Taiki sighed in exasperation. As much as he cared for his juniors, they could definitely get on his nerves very quickly. Tagiru and Yuu were having another argument, though this was not the time for their antics. His phone buzzed.

' _Hey, Taiki! It's Airu here! ^_^ Ryoma wanted me to tell you that some legendary digimon appeared but then ran away. Ren's Xros loader said something about a 'beast', or whatnot. We should meet up again to talk about this more! Don't forget to bring my subordinate! While we're on the topic of Yuu…'_

 _More unusual things? That's odd. Something big must be happening._

"Okay, I'll head up there to check out what's what. Come up when you're done arguing," Taiki said to the two that weren't listening.

He cautiously made his way up the tall building, minding the stairs. Who knew what could happen. They had managed earlier to catch sight of a random fire that seemed to erupt from the top of this building.

Without another sound, Taiki made quick work of the stairs and came upon the roof access door. Silently, he eased the door open…

"I'm sorry if it was stupid, but it's not like you said anything to stop me!" an unfamiliar voice rang out. Taiki started. It was a boy his age, wearing an olive cap with goggles over them. He could only catch the profile, but it seemed as though the boy hadn't noticed him yet.

He was lean, but muscular. His outfit was nothing out of the ordinary, except maybe the goggles, but Taiki was used to them by now. He was talking, but nobody else was there.

"I didn't mean to blow the door up! It's still on its hinges, right?"

There was a pause.

"You're the idiot! If you had any objections, why didn't you say them before I nearly melted the door!"

Another pause.

"Eh? Of course I'm not paying for it! Do you really think I have money with me?"

…

"If others saw it, they wouldn't understand anyways. Probably think some kind of accident happened. Which scarred the door…"

…

"Well… Okay, so practicing up here probably wasn't the best idea, but at least we're high enough that people wouldn't notice."

 _ **Oh really? I highly doubt that fact.**_

"What the heck?! Are you going to disagree with me on everything? That's it! I'm done talking to you!"

 _ **Well, good riddance! Good luck going around without me!**_

 _ **He doesn't need you. He's got me, the best dragon in existence.**_

 _ **Cocky much?**_

 _ **You're just jealous. The kid's got good taste to see who's got the real power around here. Fire is meant to burn. It just happened to burn that door. Who cares?**_

 _ **You insolent-! Fine, do whatever you want! Count me out of your shenanigans!**_

"Guys, please calm down. I'm not choosing sides between you two. If you need to work this out, please do it without involving me."

 _ **Fine, have it your way. But while we argue, you best take care of the dropper of eaves**_ **.**

 _ **He means eavesdropper. There's been a boy in the doorway listening to you speak out loud. He probably noticed your idiotic display. You might be sent to the mental institute soon.**_

Takuya casually took a glance at the newcomer, barely making a motion to alert watchful eyes. The boy had brown hair was wearing a red shirt. He seemed to be staring very intently at the Warrior of Fire, and it sort of made Takuya uncomfortable.

"Hey, buddy. You need something?" Takuya called out in a friendly manner. He knew not to sound hostile until he knew what the boy had heard.

"Uh, I was coming up here to… nap. I just happened to hear your voice. Who're you talking to?" the new boy asked. Ah, an observer who just _happened_ to be 'passing by'.

"Really now? Well, I was just practicing for a new play I was trying out for."

"Oh? That's cool. Did you see any fire up here? I could've sworn I saw something."

Internally, Takuya was sweating bullets.

"Fire? Sorry, but I don't think I've seen anything dangerous."

"Is that so? While I'm here, would you mind telling me if you've seen anything suspicious?" Taiki pressed.

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"I've been hearing a few strange things have been going on around town. I'm just curious. By the way, what's the name of the play you're trying out for? I might have heard of it."

"Of Beasts and Humans," the kid answered without skipping a beat.

 _Beasts? Didn't Airu mention something about a beast?_ Taiki thought to himself. Just before he was about to follow up with another question, two boys burst through the door, which Taiki had walked only a couple of steps in front of while talking to the stranger.

"TAIKI!"

Tagiru and Yuu ended up bulldozing poor Taiki. Immediately arguing again, they didn't even notice the stranger that had been conversing with their senior.

The extra ended up laughing his heart out, finally drawing attention to himself. He had to put his hand on his stomach because it was hurting so much. That's when Taiki saw it.

A red tattoo. Fire. It resembled the guy, Koji's.

"Excuse me-" Taiki started before getting cut off.

"Who do you think you are?! Laughing at us? What's your name so I can pummel you!" Tagiru shouted indignantly.

"Like you could pummel anyone! You're too weak!" Yuu mocked. They continued for a couple more minutes before someone shut them up.

"Guys!" Taiki had had enough of their immature behavior. He turned back to the stranger, wanting to apologize for his juniors.

"Sorry, they're usually like this, but-" he cut himself off this time. The mysterious bystander had disappeared. Taiki quickly searched the rooftop, but there wasn't a single sign of the boy. But there was one thing that caught his eye.

There was a large area on the door that looked as though it had the target of all-black paintballs filled with soot.

 _To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: An Unexpected Brotherhood

Chapter 4: An Unexpected Brotherhood

 ***BANG* *BANG* *BANG***

 **I'm so sorry. This is like a year late, and I feel terrible. The "bangs" earlier were me hitting my head against the wall. I feel so guilty. Things came up and stuff and… yeah. Don't even get me started on my other stories. *sighs* Also, I changed chapter three. Some plot points were modified. I hope you enjoy the long, long,** _ **long**_ **awaited 4th chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to update again, but finals are coming up quickly. Also, I've decided to instead reply to reviews via PM. The ones I received last chapter will be done as such. This chapter is kind of short.**

"..talking.." - Speaking out loud

 _Thinking_ \- thinking or reading from analyzer

' _Texting'_ \- text message

" **Digimon** " - evolution or important words

" _ **Attack**_ " - attack move

 _ **Talk**_ \- Human Spirit communicating

 _ **Talk**_ \- Beast spirit communicating

 **Disclaimer: I didn't own it before, you think I do now?**

Chapter 4: An Unexpected Brotherhood

"YUU!"

A blonde-haired blur of pink proceeded to glomp poor Yuu as soon as he was in sight. Her two companions responded with a sigh of exasperation or a slight shake of the head. The two that arrived with Yuu could only give their own signs of amusement. Taiki chuckled lightly, while Tagiru fell to the ground grasping his stomach.

"Yuu… Yuu is… being… crushed…" Tagiru gasped between laughs. Yuu, on the other hand, wasn't amused.

"Airu! Get the heck off of me, darn it!" The diva could only pout as she clung tighter to her 'subordinate.'

"But Yuu~! We haven't talked in, like, forever! What if another person snatched you up as their subordinate? *GASP* IT'S A GIRL, ISN'T IT?!" Airu could only continue to babble on about this 'mystery girl' that 'dared to steal her Yuu.'

"Taiki, it's good to see you again," Ryoma began, ignoring the ranting Airu and suffocating Yuu. Tagiru and Taiki sidestepped the near murder attempt, slipping into the same booth as Ren and Ryouma. Ryouma was the one to begin the talk after Yuu and Airu finally joined them.

"Sorry we couldn't meet anywhere more secluded, but I thought that we should talk as soon as possible," Ryouma started. "Ren, Airu, and I got into a battle with a digimon called BurningGreymon."

"Yeah!" Ren cut in. "It was ridiculously powerful! My Xros loader said it was a hybrid level, but I don't know what that means in terms of ranking. But his strength spoke of at least an ultimate, if not higher."

"It wasn't worth my time, otherwise we would have caught it," Airu sniffed. "But Ryouma wanted it, so we chased the beast anyway." Taiki took a moment to take all of it in. The trio filled him in on the battle details, but there wasn't much to report.

"It seemed like it wanted to flee the scene quickly. Usually, rampaging digimon cause a big mess and destroy everything in sight. This dragon barely did any damage at all, other than attacking our digimon. But even then, it was after I ordered Astamon to attack," Ryouma finished. By now, they had all settled into the small restaurant they were currently occupying. Tagiru had wasted no time in ordering a large feast for himself.

Takuya was not amused.

He watched nervously as the group of hunters left the restaurant. He had come looking for a part time job because he had no money, but he didn't expect to narrowly avoid an encounter with the boy he met on the rooftop.

"Hey, kid, we aren't fond of loitering goofs like you." Takuya was startled out of his thoughts by a gruff old man. "If you aren't a customer, then kindly move your carcass out of my diner."

"Actually, sir, I was looking to take the job," Takuya said politely, holding up the 'Help Wanted' sign he had found on the door. Even the gogglehead knew that he should be respectful to the man he wanted to hire him. The owner glared at him suspiciously before jerking his chin to the side, signalling to follow.

"Can you cook?" the owner inquired when they had reached to back kitchen.

"No, sir."

"You do know this is a restaurant, right brat?"

"I do."

"If you're pulling a prank, I'm not afraid of nailing you with my waffle-maker," the man threatened.

"I was hoping I could wash dishes or something for food… sir," Takuya explained, awkwardly adding the last part for formality's sake.

The old man sighed heavily before making his way to a small bin that was filled with aprons. The cloth made a soft thud as it smacked into Takuya's face.

"Take that and wash down the empty tables. When you're done, the tableware from the lunch rush is slowly rotting by the sink."

Of all the times to get his first job, Takuya never expected it would be in a foreign world.

A couple hours later, Takuya had finally conquered the possibly toxic mountain of dishes and utensils. The old man, Takeda, had then ordered his new slave to take the decomposing scraps from the bins and throw them in the dumpster out back.

Barely escaping rabid rodents and insects of questionable distinction, Takuya had completed his dangerous quest. When he came back inside, Takeda was conversing with another boy.

The stranger looked a year or two younger, tawny hair and green eyes were the most prominent features. The two of them occasionally gestured towards the cash register.

When Takeda finally noticed Takuya standing there, he called him over.

"This brat is my new worker. You'll probably be seeing him more often. Unless he gets fired, of course," Takeda introduced Takuya to the other boy before waving a hand in the stranger's general direction. "And this is my star chef for Takoyaki Tuesdays."

"Hideaki Mashimo. Nice to meet you," Hideaki greeted, holding his hand out. Takuya grinned, before shaking his hand heartily.

"Takuya Kanbara."

"Great, now that you're best buds, I need you to fix this darn register! It's been beepin' and honkin' like my wife! While she consumes just as much money, last I checked, she wasn't a digital machine!" Takeda raged.

"Calm down, Mr. Takeda. I'm pretty good with gadgets, so let me take a look at it," Hideaki offered, moving towards the register.

"I know you offered to, but I don't want to bother you, young'un. I can just get a repairman, or even buy a new one."

"I insist," Hideaki persuaded. Takuya was merely a spectator during the entire exchange. Finally, after much persistence on Hideaki's part, Takeda agreed to let him fix it, but on the condition that the boy would be payed for his service.

"Oi, brat! Go put all the chairs up on the tables and mop down the floors. After that, you can help Hideaki. Then you're free to go," Takeda commanded. The goggle boy sighed before getting back to work.

After everything was finally done, Takuya took a second to stretch his muscles. Sure he'd been training since after his first adventure, but nothing could have prepared him for the slave driving demon, Mr. Takeda. He went back to the storeroom to help Hideaki.

"Hey, Hideaki! Need any-"

… but he was utterly surprised upon his arrival.

"... help?" Takuya awkwardly finished. The other only smiled before shaking his head negative.

"Don't worry, I just finished up. You can go ahead and head out, if you'd like." Takuya gaped at the mess in the room. Claw marks could be seen on the ground, and small scorched areas littered the walls and ceiling. Hideaki, on the other hand, looked completely unruffled towards the disaster around him.

"Wha…?"

"I'll clean up, rest assured."

"That isn't the issue here!" Takuya sighed again. He'd been doing that a lot since starting to work at the diner. Leaving the other alone for a bit, Takuya went back to the supply closet. He returned moments later, cleaning supplies in tow. He set to work with the mop first.

"H-hey! You don't have to do that!" Hideaki spluttered, genuinely shocked at the goggle boy's actions.

"My job is to clean. Can't cook, so I might as well make myself useful," Takuya supplied with a shrug. He stopped mopping for a second to walk over to the small cart of cleaning gear. There was a small *floof* sound as a cloth collided with Hideaki's face. "But I ain't doing this alone."

Hideaki smiled before getting to work on the walls. Takuya continued on the floor. When the time came, the two collaborated using the ladder to clean the ceiling. Certain gashes refused to leave, but overall, the job was a success. Takuya asked no questions, mostly because he knew that he wouldn't want someone interrogating him if he were in Hideaki's shoes. Things did seem suspicious, however…

"Thank you so much, Taku!" Takuya blinked in surprise.

"Taku?" he clarified uncertainly.

"Yep!" Hideaki cheerily answered. "I'll be calling you 'Taku' from now on! After all, two syllables is much easier than three."

"W-what?! But your name has three syllables too!"

"Fine, call me 'Aki', then."

"Huh?"

"It's only fair. Now we're even with two syllables each."

"..."

Now Takuya understood how Koji felt when dealing with him. But surely he wasn't as hyper as this?

The two boys left the storeroom, both intended to take their leave of the diner for the day. That was, until they heard it.

 _Grrrrr…_

"Heh… heh," Takuya laughed awkwardly. "I guess I forgot to eat…"

"Oi! Brat, Hideaki, you done yet?" the same gruff voice that had been ordering him all day called.

"Yessir! Good as new!" Hideaki mock saluted. Takeda came out of the kitchen area to check on the register. Everything began working smoothly. The old man grinned toothily.

"Fine, just fine," Takeda praised. "Hideaki, my boy, you really are such a great young man."

He entered a few buttons before the cash tray popped out. He pulled out some bills to pay him with.

"And, brat?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Go in the kitchen. Make sure to clean up when you're done. Hideaki, can you lock up after? You go to the kitchen too." Hideaki nodded, while Takuya could only stand there in confusion.

"What? You got rocks in your socks? Get moving!" the old man barked. Both Takuya and Hideaki made their way into the kitchen after waving their boss goodnight. The smell already assaulted Takuya's nose.

"I-is that…?" Takuya trailed off, eyes and mouth gaping wide.

"Mr. Takeda's famous miso and rice. A real treat," Hideaki sighed happily. Takuya had barely said thanks before tearing into the dish with the gusto of a starved animal.

 _This is my first meal since I came here!_ Takuya thought happily. _Unless you count that half-eaten hotdog an old lady threw at me because she thought I was some teenage thug…_

Hideaki dig into his meal as well, but at a slower pace. Good thing, too, especially when Takuya began to choke.

"Woah, Taku! Slow down! The food isn't going to disappear!" Hideaki sweat dropped. He took a look at his friend's bowl. "Well, on second thought…"

When he finally swallowed the lump of food that had clogged his esophagus, Takuya let out a hearty sigh of contentment.

"Definitely worth all that work."

After they both had finished, the two left the restaurant together. Hideaki made well on his word and locked the place up, while Takuya abruptly remembered that he still needed to find a place to sleep.

"Hey, Aki? Do you know of any buildings with open fire escapes?" he asked. Hideaki raised an eyebrow.

"Open fire escapes? What, you looking to jump? That isn't funny."

"No!" the brunette defended. "I'm not jumping, I just needed to, uh, look for something. Roofs are good vantage points, ya know?" Takuya chuckles nervously.

"Lying isn't good for the soul."

…

"Eh?"

"I said," Hideaki elaborated, "lying isn't good for the soul. It doesn't bode well for friendships either."

Speechless, Takuya remained silent as he let Hideaki continue.

"Taku, we just forged a new bond over miso and rice. Are you trying to break such a sturdy thing that was strengthened with our combined elbow grease? We are now brothers for life, and as such, I know that you're lying to me right now," he explained, a slight frown marred his features. "Tell me the truth."

"Well…" Takuya trailed off, looking off to the side. He tried avoiding the subject as much as possible. Hideaki sighed.

"If you can't tell me the truth, then the least you can do is not lie. I prefer silence over betrayal." Hideaki began to walk away, hands in pockets.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Takuya let out an agitated breath. He didn't know what to think about this brotherhood being sprung on him, but he didn't delude himself with the thought of making it through this adventure alone. Jogging to catch up with Hideaki, he kept pace with the other boy.

"...Do you have a place I could stay for the night? Just temporarily."

Hideaki smiled slightly.

"I've got a futon at my house."

And without any further questions, they both set out into the night. Neither gave voice to obvious inquiries, both settling for a quiet, peaceful night.

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: She Who Seeks the Truth

Chapter 5: She Who Seeks the Truth

 **Hello! Hope has returned with the fifth chapter! Sorry for the wait! Things came up, and then I was visiting a friend of mine for a week… Yeah. Today, I was sitting at home, being bored, and I was about to take a nap or something. Then I remembered I hadn't finished this chapter yet, and here I am.**

"..talking.." - Speaking out loud

 _Thinking_ \- thinking or reading from analyzer

' _Texting'_ \- text message

" **Digimon** " - evolution or important words

" _ **Attack**_ " - attack move

 _ **Talk**_ \- Human Spirit communicating

 _ **Talk**_ \- Beast spirit communicating

 **Disclaimer: *sigh* is this even necessary? I don't own digimon, okay?**

Chapter 5: She Who Seeks the Truth

Kouji was having a bad day.

To start things off, he was stuck in a foreign world without his friends. That in itself is enough to make anyone grumpy. But it didn't stop there. He woke in the morning to a thunderstorm. Getting soaked with rain and pelted by the wind wasn't how he planned to start the day. To make things even better, he was starving. He managed to get a stale bagel from a small bakery that took pity on him somewhat, but that was stolen by a stray hound.

Yes, Kouji was having a very bad day.

Socks and sneakers squishing with the assaulting water, Kouji trudged along the sidewalk, glaring at the people that were happily dry inside buildings or under umbrellas.

At this point, Kouji was nearly numb. The cold had begun to settle in his bones, and he couldn't ward off the relentless shivering. His clothes did nothing to help, as they were just as wet as the rest of him. The continuous gale forced raindrops to hinder his vision, and his bandanna was glued to his head.

Seeking shelter from the onslaught of water, Kouji cursed nature before running towards an old, abandoned building. He knew he could've easily went to a house to ask for shelter, but he didn't want to jeopardize himself when they asked where he lived or who his parents were. That, and his pride was getting in the way.

It was quite dusty in the ancient structure. Dust covered almost everything, and the other areas were eaten away by termites. Making sure there wasn't a soul in sight, Kouji concentrated until there was a small ball of light in his hand. Letting it float freely in the air, he pulled a tarp off of one of the few pieces of furniture. He coughed violently with the dust that was suddenly released.

Sitting down, he tried to recount everything that had happened to him thus far.

First of all, he and his friends were enjoying a normal day before crap hit the fan. Everything went downhill after that. He didn't know where his fellow warriors were at, he was starving and homeless, and a random voice in his head taught him to create things out of light.

 **I'm not just a voice in your head, Kouji. I told you, I'm Lobomon. And I thought that making things out of light was pretty cool.**

 **Balls of light don't do squat, Lobomon. Wait until you learn real techniques, kid. You'll be wielding swords and blinding people in no time.**

 **Light doesn't need to be used to hurt others, KendoGarurumon.**

 **Preach to someone that cares. In battle, you can't afford to play nice.**

Kouji sighed, trying to ignore the bickering voices. He could understand why they were always disagreeing, though. After all, Lobomon was the more human aspect of AncientGarurumon, while KendoGarurumon was more animalistic. The values they hold are different, so the thoughts they have also differ.

 **Anyway, look sharp, Kouji. Someone has arrived.**

 **Could you cut the theatrics for a second?**

 **Shut it.**

Quickly dousing the light, Kouji stood, tensed and alert. His eyes searched the scene, picking up every detail. He knew the exact moment the girl arrived.

She had a green hat on her head, and her red hair greatly contrasted it. She held an odd machine in her hand. The device had two antennae on the top.

She kept staring at the screen of her electronic, pacing back and forth around the area. She didn't even notice Kouji.

Then, a small voice called out.

"Kaoru, someone's here." A small orange thing appeared, with bat-like wings on its head. It was a Patamon. He flew quietly at his companion's side.

"Hmm?" Kaoru looked around before catching sight of Kouji. "Ah! You must be searching for the truth as well!"

Kouji was very confused at this point, but kept it away from his expression.

"Do you know what that thing is that's next to you?" he asked. Since this wasn't his world, he didn't know how much the public knew about the existence of Digimon.

"Don't you? It's a Digimon, of course!" she exclaimed. "Patamon here is my partner."

"I see," Kouji responded. These two seemed to be the only ones in the vicinity, minus himself.

"Have you been living under a rock this entire time? Digimon pop up everywhere."

"Sorry, I'm not from around here."

"I guess that makes sense. Only a few of us have the privilege of having a partner, but Digimon like to show up at random around here. Most of the public have gradually accepted their existence, but some are still skeptical. I'm just seeking the truth of the matter," Kaoru explained.

"Truth?" Kouji questioned. "What do you mean by that?" Kouji was getting ahead of himself. He shouldn't be conversing casually with a stranger. He should be finding ways out of this situation, not asking questions. Kaoru answered him regardless.

"I want to know what Digimon really are. I want to know why they are here. I want to know why people seem to have a memory lapse at the same time, myself included. All of these mysteries must be brought to light! The truth will always shine a pathway!" Kaoru exclaimed excitedly. "Patamon!" she called, "let's go find some answers!"

"Right!" her partner saluted. Both rushed off deeper into the building. Kouji was left alone, quietly wondering about the girl's sanity. Then something moved.

It wasn't caused by Kaoru or the Patamon, nor did Kouji himself do anything. It wasn't even very noticeable. The warrior of light only caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye. But the shadow was enough to prompt Kouji to move, following after where the others had gone. One thought rang clearly in his mind, echoed by the extra presences.

He and the other two weren't alone.

* * *

Darkness pooled in large shadows. Three figures stood still, waiting for their master's arrival. Black contraptions were around their necks and arms. A small boy waltzed into their line of vision, seemingly pleased.

"Finally, the time has come. The final piece has been put into play," he announced. His voice was unlike any child's. It was sinister, and slippery, and it reeked of pure evil.

Something whirred behind the three figures, before a large object was thrust into their backs. They only grunted slightly in pain.

"Just a bit more insurance, though I doubt it will be needed," he chuckled lowly. "Now the fun can begin."

 _To Be Continued…_

 **Okay, I know I said that the last one was short, which was funny because it was the longest so far. But this one is really short, like, for real. I'm sorry. But I wasn't sure how Kouji and Kaoru would interact. Kaoru seemed like a straight forward person in the show, and Kouji is… well, Kouji. So yeah. I hope you liked it, and if not, I understand. This chapter was rough.**


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